Phytochemical Survey of Papua — Webb 
(C.S.I.R.O.). This recommendation was ap- 
proved and the writer and Dr. C. Barnard 
(Division of Plant Industry, C.S.I.R.O.) spent 
August and September, 1951, in various parts 
of the Territory of Papua and New Guinea. 
Lowland areas near Port Moresby, Popon- 
detta, Lae, and Rabaul, and highland areas at 
Wau, Aiyura, and Nondugl, were selected as 
representative plant communities, accessible 
within the brief itinerary planned. Colonel J. 
K. Murray, then Administrator of the Terri- 
tory of Papua-New Guinea, and other ad- 
ministration officials were responsible for 
transport and accommodation arrangements. 
Following the stimulus to interested people 
provided by this trip, and a subsequent appeal 
(Webb, 1952^), several plants reputed to be 
native remedies were received from New 
Guinea. Some of these are active pharma- 
cologically and are being examined further. 
Among these are possible antibiotics and 
plants reputed to cause temporary sterility in 
women. Alkaloids in species of Rutaceae and 
Monimiaceae have been characterized also. 
METHODS 
The short time in the field was obviously 
inadequate for systematic collecting and test- 
ing. Nevertheless, a fairly wide coverage was 
obtained of species common in each area. In 
the field, the procedure was to identify the 
plant, at least to family level, and if possible 
to genus. Because of the hurried nature of 
the trip, no effort was made to collect com- 
plete herbarium specimens, although small 
wood samples were obtained wherever possi- 
ble. Thus specific identification of relatively 
few specimens was sacrificed for coverage of 
a greater number of plants, many of which 
were identified with certainty at the generic 
level only. Together with the 300 samples 
actually collected for spot-testing, and plants 
tasted or otherwise rejected at sight in the 
field, over 600 different species of angio- 
sperms were examined, chiefly for alkaloids, 
during the trip. 
431 
Once the botanical affinities of a plant were 
known, its promise as a source of alkaloids, 
saponins, etc., could be judged to some ex- 
tent, on the basis of experience in the Aus- 
tralian Phytochemical Survey. Tasting of 
bark, seeds, etc. was freely used as a guide 
(although certain inimical families such as 
Anacardiaceae were not tested in this way). 
For example, bitterness in Lauraceae, particu- 
larly if a Cryptocarya , would suggest alkaloids. 
Bitterness in Rhamnaceae, on the other hand, 
indicates that saponins are likely to be pres- 
ent. With practice, alkaloids and saponins 
may sometimes be differentiated by taste 
alone. Other field criteria such as colour of 
inner bark were used in certain cases. Thus, 
vivid yellow inner bark in Evodia , Acronychia 
or Melicope (Rutaceae) supplements the evi- 
dence of bitterness that alkaloids (e.g., acri- 
dones) may be present. 
If, in terms of the above criteria, the plant 
was considered of chemical interest, small 
samples of bark, wood, and leaves (and 
flowers or fruits if available) were collected. 
These samples, with the exception of wood, 
were preserved in envelopes (5X8 in.) 
pressed flat, in large sealed tins (2 gal. capac- 
ity) containing silica gel. In addition, con- 
firmatory chemical tests (cf., Webb 1949, 
1952ff) were made at field headquarters of 
promising alkaloid plants. About 25 species 
were then (while in each area) collected in 
bulk (av. 10-20 lbs.) for detailed analysis in 
Australia. Air-drying and silica gel preserva- 
tion were used for these samples. About 300 
small samples (serving both for identification 
and chemical testing) were collected. 
In Brisbane, samples were tested for alka- 
loids, using both hydrochloric acid and Prol- 
lius extracts, according to the methods out- 
lined by Webb (1949, 1952^). 
Plants were tested for saponins by the so- 
called froth test. The finely chopped material 
was boiled with water, cooled, and shaken. 
The production of a stable, characteristic 
"honeycomb” froth indicates the presence of 
saponin (cf., Dunstan, 1948). 
